Classical Civilization

Salve!

Students in Classical Civilization learn about virtually all aspects of the study of ancient Greece and Rome (from around 800 BC to 400 AD), including the languages, literature, history, art, philosophy, and religion. Many of our own cultural, academic, and civic institutions have roots in Greece and Rome, such as theater, scientific inquiry, and even democracy. For many generations of Americans, including the Founding Fathers and Lincoln, a background in Classical was considered essential for all leaders, whether in business, law, government, or the clergy. Today, the study of Classical Civilization remains a unique way for students to gain perspective on their own world. It is also widely recognized as a particularly vigorous study and excellent preparation for careers in law. Students who graduate with degrees in Classical Civilization go forth with the confidence that they can handle any mental challenge the world throws at them.

At North Central, the study of Latin is at the heart of our curriculum in Classical Civilization. Latin trains students in logical reasoning, increases their English vocabulary, and comes in handy to anyone interested in learning Spanish, French, Italian, or any of the other languages descended from Latin. In the context of a major or minor in Classical Civilization, Latin gives students the opportunity to read Roman literature in its original language, including works of famous authors such as the statesman Cicero, the poet Virgil, and the emperor Julius Caesar.

Welcome!

Studying the languages and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome puts us in contact with two fascinating civilizations that have influenced nearly every aspect of our culture.

Studying Latin and Greek opens the door to an unsurpassed body of literature -- prose, poetry, drama, philosophy, and history.

Learning Latin will dramatically increase your English vocabulary making you a better reader, listener, and writer.

Classical Studies Minor

Classical Studies is an interdisciplinary program that explores all aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It offers language courses in ancient Greek and Latin as well as courses in cultural studies. Students pursuing the minor also draw on coursework in History, Art History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Theater, and Great Books. The minor is a useful complement to studies in any of these fields. It is especially recommended to students who plan to pursue graduate studies requiring knowledge of ancient Greek or Latin (such as programs in ancient history, classical archaeology, medieval studies, and many seminaries). Minors in Classical Studies build skills in close reading, research, and analysis of texts and objects that are applicable to wide range of occupations and careers.

For additional information and courses in this program, see Classical Studies.

A minor in Classical Studies consists of a minimum of 20 credit hours, including:

Core

A minimum of eight credit hours from:

Advanced Electives

A minimum of four credit hours from the following:

Electives

A minimum of eight credit hours of additional courses selected from any course(s) designated CLSS, LATN, or GREK or from the following:

CLSS 190 - Words and Ideas From Greece and Rome

4.00 credit hours 

Introduction to classical culture through study of Greek and Roman roots in English. Students expand English vocabulary and gain knowledge necessary to make educated guesses at unfamiliar words’ meanings based on roots and basic linguistic concepts involved in word building. Special attention is given to spheres of classical culture, such as mythology, philosophy, ancient science medicine, which have been especially important for creation of English words. Fulfills the language requirement for transfer students with a minimum of 51 tranferred credit hours.

 

 

CLSS 200 - Introduction to Greece and Rome: Ancient and Contemporary Debates

4.00 credit hours 

An innovative introduction to critical issues in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students take on roles, informed by classic texts, in elaborate games set in the past; they learn skills—speaking, writing, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and teamwork—in order to prevail in difficult and complicated situations.

iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.

 

 

CLSS 250 - Classical Mythology

4.00 credit hours

A study of classical mythology based on ancient Greek and Roman sources, such as the epic poems of Homer. Course also considers theoretical definitions of myth; cross-cultural comparisons of mythological traditions; and post-classical reception of myths in art, literature and popular culture.

Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities.
iCon(s): Being Human.

 

 

CLSS 255 - Greek and Roman History and Historians

4.00 credit hours(Same as: HIST 255) 

Survey of major developments in Greek and Roman history from roughly 800 BCE–400 CE. In addition to understanding how societies in ancient Greece and Rome built, defended and lost their empires, the course also studies the social, cultural and environmental experiences of these complex civilizations. Students read modern historical interpretations as well as translated ancient historical sources of the period.

Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Global Understanding.
iCon(s): Thinking Globally.

 

 

CLSS 299 - Independent Study

1.00-12.00 credit hours

 

 

CLSS 320 - Topics in Classical Art

4.00 credit hours (Same as: ARTH 320) 

Selected study of Classical art from the Greek, Hellenistic or Roman period. Emphasis on the variety of ideologies and materials that characterize Classical art, how its development was influenced by earlier art traditions, and how the diverse strands of Classical art and culture are still recognizable in our contemporary world.

Prerequisite(s): ARTH 100 or one Classical Studies course.

 

 

CLSS 380 - Ancient Mediterranean Religions

4.00 credit hours 

Study of diversity within the religious traditions and practices of ancient Greco-Roman Mediterranean. Topics emphasized may include significance of religious rituals in public and private life (including sacrifices, festivals, prayers, magic, divination and initiation); funerary customs and beliefs associated with death; adoption and adaption of foreign cults in polytheistic societies; and interaction of Greek and Roman traditions with Abrahamic monotheisms.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

 

 

CLSS 385 - Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome

4.00 credit hours 

Study of selected topics relating gender and sexuality within the civilizations of Greek and Roman antiquity (ca. 800 BCE–400 CE), including some attention to: beliefs and customs pertaining to gender developed and changed over time and in relation to changing social, cultural and political contexts; types of sources available for studying private lives of ancient Greek and Romans; and influence of studies on ancient gender on the development of Gender Studies as a discipline.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
iCon(s): Being Human.

 

 

CLSS 390 - Topics

4.00 credit hours 

Repeatable with different content.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

 

 

CLSS 399 - Independent Study

1.00-12.00 credit hours

 

 


  

CLSS 499 - Independent Study

1.00-12.00 credit hours

 

 

 

Extra-curricular and professional activities that will enrich your Classical Civilizations Education

Many students have found classical civilization be a great complement to studies in philosophy, history, art history, pre-law or pre-medicine. Explore the possibilities!

Rome Trevi

D-Term Study Abroad - Italy

November 29 - December 13, 2016

Art and Memory in Italy:  Classical Antiquity to the Present

This course offers students a firsthand introduction to the art, architecture and archaeology of central Italy, as well as a survey of Italian history from the founding of ancient Rome through the first half of the 20th centurey.  During our 10-day study tour, we will visit sites in Rome (including the Colosseum and Vatican), Florence and Naples, as well as the ancient ruins of Ostia and Pompeii and the Etruscan necropolis (or "city of the dead") at Cerveteri.  The objects we will examine will give us windows into the cultures of ancient Rome, early Christianity, the Italian Renaissance, as well as the Baroque and Counter-Reformation periods, and the rise of Italian nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Find more information on D-Term here.

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